Can I Die at Home?

Where you die depends on your wishes but also on your illness.

For many reasons, patients are comfortable in their own home with family and friends at hand in a familiar environment. The North Shore Palliative Care Program and provincial Palliative Care Benefits Program will support your home care; that is a nurse, doctor, medication and equipment to be available at home. This can continue until death occurs.

When you need stabilizing treatment or your caregiver or you require a break from the home (respite care), your palliative care team will arrange for you to be admitted temporarily to a hospital or hospice for a few days after which, depending on your circumstances, you may return home.

There are many medical and social circumstances where it is not always possible to die at home. You may live alone. If you have caregivers at home, the burden on them may be too great. Your medical situation may simply be too complex. Your team will help facilitate admission to hospice or hospital if you find yourself in any of these situations.